Amateur-built KITFOX accident near Powell, Wyoming, May 10, 2024
On May 10, 2024 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1990 amateur-built KITFOX, registered N605GK, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Powell, Wyoming (Private Grass Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s adjustment of the carburetor to an incorrect setting, which resulted in partial loss of engine power during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 2024 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Powell, Wyoming · Private Grass Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX, built 1990
- Registration
- N605GK · registry record · serial 605
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane was departing from his private dirt strip when the accident occurred. The airplane exhibited a partial loss of engine power when it was about halfway down the runway. The pilot elected to proceed with the takeoff due to an irrigation canal at the end of the runway. The airplane would not gain altitude and subsequently struck two fences before nosing over and coming to rest inverted in a nearby yard. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that one of the two piston-type carburetors had the retaining clip for the jet needle set to the leanest position. The other carburetor was set to the engine manufacturer’s specified position. It is likely that the overly lean setting in one of the carburetors caused the carburetors not to be synchronized, which resulted in the partial loss of engine power during takeoff. According to the pilot, he adjusted the carburetor’s retaining clip to lower the cylinder temperature while he was flying in a different state and did not notice any loss of engine performance. However, this was his first attempted takeoff in Wyoming, that was located at a high elevation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Modification/alteration › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › High density altitude › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 0.1 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 10, 2023
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 358.7 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 27, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582LC (piston); 36 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway Priv, 600 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 10:21 am from KWRL, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KWRL 101621Z AUTO VRB04KT 10SM SCT022 12/06 A3032 RMK AO2 T01170061
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on July 8, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Engine Examination Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Manual Excerpts | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record A�� Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.